I think most of us would agree that when it comes to digital communications, the promotional products industry is still trying to find its way. While marketers in other industries hone their skills when it comes to the integration of social media into their marketing and corporate communications practices, and are tweeting and Facebooking and Instagramming their way to deeper connections with customers and prospects, our industry is still lagging behind a bit. While social media is most assuredly not the silver bullet in any marketing strategy, it has made it easier than ever before to find customers and prospects, to gather insights on what they think, how they feel, what they want, what they like, what they don’t—you name it. Social media channels can be a veritable treasure trove of data and, when used properly, that data can help build the kind of relationships with customers and prospects that comes from true two-way conversations. It’s also the kind of relationship that is neither free nor easy, and trust needs to be built before you start asking for the order.
One way to learn more about how social media best practices work is to “follow” the best of the best, by either finding and following them on Twitter, connecting with them on LinkedIn, joining groups on LinkedIn, or perhaps even seeking them out on Facebook. Once connected, the learning process can begin. You can watch how these industry leaders work, see what they’re thinking about, what kind of content they are creating and sharing, and how they engage with their respective audiences. In fact, when it comes to social media, listening, watching, and emulating is a pretty smart strategy overall. As you watch, think about how you might be able to apply some of the same tactics they use to your marketing efforts. And make sure you’re not afraid to reach out to these industry thought leaders directly. After all, engagement is what this communication channel is all about!
Starting today, we are embarking on the most comprehensive search of the promotional products industry’s top content providers ever done. Our goal is to share the top 25 accounts leading the way in our channels in hopes of improving the results for all. For purposes of this research, “comprehensive” means both broad and objective. That’s why we have engaged social media research firm The Social Studies Group to conduct a broad methodical review of content providers in the promotional products industry.
The analysis begins with an Author Impact Score, a mathematical calculation involving the number of posts an account has shared (how much potential those posts have to be seen) and engagement, (how much a post has been viewed, shared or retweeted). That score will be mapped against predetermined parameters and manually reviewed by the firm to produce an objective list of the top most engaging users in our industry. “This is an interesting project and we’re excited about it. We are taking the first cut from the Twitter Impact Score, then determining estimated social reach from Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube,” said Wendy Scherer, managing partner for The Social Studies Group. “We’ll review the top accounts across platforms for content quality and industry topics (rather than personal, or off topic) and sort by Impact, Reach, and Topic Quality to get the Top 25.”
We mentioned this research would be broad and, as of now, we are approaching 2,500 industry accounts to be considered. We’ve already started looking at several industry lists, including one with more than 1,300 entries compiled by Patrick McHargue, president of industry placement firm PromoPlacement. McHargue explains his list as a by-hand curation. “Starting with the biggest suppliers and distributors in our industry, I viewed the list as an easy way to connect and share with other promotional product professionals,” he said. “It’s all about connecting with professionals and creating a simple way to find a new job.”
To maintain objectivity, accounts created for the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA) will be excluded from the research, as will my personal accounts. The Social Studies Group will include the accounts, but not give preference to, suppliers accredited by QCA and members of the QCA Distributor Advocacy Council.
So, what do you think? Do you want to know more about who the top 25 influencers in the promotional products industry are? Do you want to make sure you’re included? So do we—and we don’t want to miss anybody. To that end, we want to hear from you. We’ll take direct submissions through next Friday, March 27. You can email me your account information at [email protected], or reach out to me on Twitter (@jeffreypjacobs) and I’ll make sure you are added to the list.
We’re going to have some fun with this research, and look forward to releasing the Top 25 very soon. Make sure you’re on the list to be considered!
